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Casey Blake
William Casey Blake (born August 23, 1973 in Des Moines, Iowa) is a Major League Baseball third baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Blake previously played with the Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, and Cleveland Indians. He has alternated between playing at third base and first base before becoming a full-time third baseman with the Indians. In , Blake moved to right field to accommodate the Indians' signing of third baseman Aaron Boone, but has since moved back to third. Blake was drafted twice prior to signing with the Blue Jays: in , he was taken during the 11th round by the Philadelphia Phillies; in , he was taken by the New York Yankees during the 45th round. High school and college Casey was a four-sport stand-out at Indianola High School in Indianola, Iowa where he played baseball, American football, basketball and participated in track. He was named a top-ten high school athlete in the history of Iowa. His high school team, just like his previous major league team, was named the Indians. Blake attended Wichita State University where he was a three-time All-American, two-time Academic All-American and participated in the College World Series. He batted .320 with 22 home runs and 101 RBI during his senior year. Professional career Early years From – , Blake spent most of his time in the minor leagues. He played in the organizations of the Toronto Blue Jays and the Minnesota Twins. Cleveland Indians In , Blake became the Cleveland Indians every-day third baseman in his first full season in the Major Leagues. He had a solid offensive season, leading the team in games with 152, hits (143) and doubles (35) while compiling career highs in every offensive category. Blake started in every spot in the batting order except the leadoff spot, the most common slot being the #2 hole in the lineup. He had a fielding percentage of .952. He was named AL Player of the Week from 6/30–7/6. He ended the season with 17 home runs, 67 RBI, and a .257 batting average in 152 games played. In , Blake had his finest offensive season to date in his second straight full season in the Major Leagues as the Indians third baseman. In June, he hit .330 (37-112) with seven home runs and 21 RBI in 28 games. From June 1 through the end the season, he hit .283, with 22 HR and 68 RBI in 112 games. He had an AL-low fielding percentage of .939 at third base and led the majors at that position with 26 errors. Blake signed a two-year contract on January 21, 2004. He finished the season with a .271 batting average, 28 home runs and 88 RBI. In 2005, Blake converted to right field and filled in at third base and first base. He had 56 extra base hits. Blake made 132 starts in right field, six at third base and four starts at first. In the outfield, he made eight errors in 298 total chances. In 2005, Blake ended the season with a .241 average, 23 homers and 58 RBI, with 116 K's while batting .084 with runners in scoring position. In , Blake once again was the Indians' starting right fielder. He ultimately ended up missing much of the season due to injury. He played in only 109 games. Blake ended the season with a career-high .282 batting average, 19 home runs and 68 RBI. Andy Marte's demotion to Triple-A resulted in Blake taking over once again as the Indians' starting third baseman. Blake had a 26-game hit streak from May 20 through June 18 during which he hit .317 with seven home runs. On July 3, , Blake hit a solo home run in the top of the 11th against the Detroit Tigers, which gave Cleveland a three-game lead over Detroit. As the Indians drove for a playoff spot, Blake hit a game-ending walk-off home run against the Kansas City Royals on September 14, 2007. Three days later (September 17, again against the Tigers, Blake hit another walk-off home run, reducing the Tribe's magic number to 7 and all but ending the Tigers' Central Division title hopes. Los Angeles Dodgers On July 26, , Blake was traded from the Indians to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor-league players Carlos Santana and Jon Meloan. He went 2 for 3 with a double and a run scored in his debut with the Dodgers on July 26, 2008. Career Statistics External links Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:Major league players from Iowa Category:Wichita State University alumni Category:Major league right fielders Category:Major league third basemen Category:Toronto Blue Jays players Category:Minnesota Twins players Category:Baltimore Orioles players Category:Cleveland Indians players Category:Los Angeles Dodgers players Category:Edmonton Trappers players Category:Akron Aeros players Category:Players